He named his first sandwich shop after an Italian “contessa” and called it his “princess,” “baby” and “the spoiled brat” in a recent interview.
Now, Vince Howard is welcoming a second member of the Tessa Delicatessen family inside the Edgewater Public Market, at 5505 W. 20th Ave.. The newest vendor in the food hall will feature the same sandwiches as the East Colfax Avenue location.
The original location, which he opened seven years ago at 724 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, remains precious to him and to residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. But as he said last week, seated at one of the food hall’s wooden tables, “I’m really in an expansion mode right now.”
Howard will open by the end of July in a stall previously used by Gladys, a vegetarian restaurant that will expand to table service inside the food hall. His neighbor will be Saigon Noodle Club, a new concept from Pho King Rapidos’s Long Nguyen. It also opens soon.
“He is very, very popular and has a huge following,” Howard said of Nguyen. “In tandem, us being the new ‘new’ down here, I think it’s gonna attract and pull.”
Other food halls have courted him and his creations — tenderly crafted chopped cheese, muffuletta, deli turkey and chicken salad sandwiches, among others — but Howard turned down each one.
Dining area at the Edgewater Public Market Dec. 18, 2021. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
He was ultimately recruited in the winter by Shawn Peel, a broker for Edgewater Public Market and a regular at the East Colfax location of Tessa, he said. Howard signed on after hearing the food hall wouldn’t take a percentage of his sales.
Howard first started making sandwiches in the Los Angeles area before moving to Denver and opening Tessa in 2019. He was inspired by Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery in Santa Monica and buys most of his bread from Denver’s City Bakery.
“I just feel like everyone needs sandwiches,” he said, adding, “sandwiches will save us all.”
Tessa’s tuna salad, double pastrami and caprese sandwiches will be on the menu. Salads, too. The burger, pasta and other mains will remain at the original Tessa location.
Howard said he was considering adding egg and cheese sandwiches and burritos after seeing the line that formed outside of Black Box Bakery, another market tenant, each morning.
“I would really love to just be a sandwich operator here and stay in my lane, but you know, I may be needing to do breakfast,” he said.
Howard may now be splitting his duties and commuting, but he remains extremely fond of the Tessa serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on East Colfax.
“It will always be my number one,” he said.